Snowy Day

I started this post last weekend when there were a couple inches of snow on the ground and we went sledding down the hill in our front yard. This weekend is sunny, all the snow has melted and it might get to 60 degrees. The sun kind of kills the fun of a snow post but that's ok, I will take the sun in March. I don't really expect to complete anything on time these days anyway!

I bought the book Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats for Bear this past November in anticipation of our winter ahead. It quickly became his favorite book. For a little stretch there we were reading it 2 to 3 times a day. I love that the little boy in the story is dark chocolate like Bear.

I've been looking forward to this winter since last winter, knowing this year at 2-1/2 years old, Bear would be able to run and play and really get into the fun of it.  I am a kid who grew up in California, so even though I've lived in the Midwest for many years, snow still has a mystique. As kids, we only played in the snow on the occasional family trip to Tahoe. I used to think it would be soooooo cool to have snow right outside your door to play in. Yes, I've been very excited to share this with Bear.

So we've been reading about snow angels and snowball fights for months. I've been telling Bear that as soon as it snows we will go out for our very own Snowy Day. We've had the snowpants hanging in the mudroom, ready. He's been thrilled to clomp around in his ginormous (size 10) snow boots all through January and February. But as luck would have it, Wisconsin has been unusually snow free this winter. And on the days we have had snow it's been bitter and dark and not very friendly for frolicking outdoors.

We finally got our break a couple weekends ago. There was only an inch or so on the ground but the sun came out, the wind died down, and out into the wonderland we went. Mama and Bear. We did it all!

We made our first snow angels

We had our first snowball fight.

(I may have created a monster. He loved throwing snowballs at mama a little too much.)

And when our fingers and toes finally got too cold, we came back inside to warm up and....ate our first bowl of snow ice cream.

We both think snow ice cream is yummy!

Dodd and I are finding Bear's toddler stage a blast. It has its challenges for sure but there is so much joy in watching him engage in his world. Maybe I will write more about this in the future. Of course it will probably take another year to get it done.

Happy Snowy Day!

February Numbers

Leap Day brought new numbers. Here they are....

  #76 on the girl’s list (last month #80)

  #61 on the boy’s list (last month #66)

  #26 on the sibling’s list (last month #27)


US Embassy clearances flooded in this week for several families who have been stuck waiting for many months. So all those families are heading to Ethiopia this weekend to bring their kids home at last. Four new referrals went out last week, including the referral of a beautiful little girl who was considered waiting. Much joy the past couple weeks within the AGCI community!

January Numbers

January numbers came in just as January was closing.

#80 on the girl’s list (last month #83)
#66 on the boy’s list (last month #69)
#27 on the sibling’s list (last month #26)

We are a few steps closer to our next child. Just a simple calculation, if we were to continue moving 3 spots a month, we have another 2 years of waiting for referral day. Ugh. Trying not to think about that.

With so many things changing in Ethiopian adoption, it's hard to keep up with even when you're in the middle of the process with much at stake. From the orphanage closures in the South, to additional scrutiny from the US embassy, we are constantly reminded this is a perilous journey. Surprisingly, the court process has been relatively smooth considering the concern last spring about MOWA greatly reducing the number of cases it reviews. However, there is news now that the courts are going to close for a month this winter. Not sure the impact this will have. On a happy note, all 6 of the AGCI babies who were in danger of being returned to the South are finally home and, I imagine blissfully unaware of all it took to get them there!

We will continue to wait and watch and pray.

New Numbers!

Stealing a quick minute to post our December numbers.
#83 on the girl list
#66 on the boy list
#26 on the sibling list

We moved 3 spots in the right direction on all 3 lists!

Life has been nutty around here. So nutty we almost didn't celebrate the 2nd anniversary of meeting our Bear! Last night we fired up the gotcha videos on the laptop and watched them together as a family until he got bored and asked for "Gabba Gabba."

More posting to come in 2012.....I hope!

New Numbers And An Encouraging Update

It's been a quiet month on the waiting list. We went backwards on the boys and siblings list which can happen from time to time.

86 on the girl’s list (last month 86)

69 on the boy’s list (last month 68)

29 on the sibling’s list (last month 27)

There is good news coming from Ethiopia for the "Southern 6" as they are being called by the listserv mamas. They have their letters from MOWA and embassy clearances are starting to come in. Some of these kids may be home before Christmas! There are still a few bumps in the road for a couple families but the outlook is still positive.

Until the next update....

Starting Advent Traditions - Please help, what are your favorite Christmas books?

I have been thinking a lot about the kinds of Christmas traditions I want to begin in our family. At just over 2, this will be a Christmas that begins to shape Bear's expectations for what Christmas is about. This year he is happily unaware of the commercial forces that will vie for his attention in another year or two. I'm not sure he knows who or what Santa is. (He's conveniently blocked the traumatic Santa encounter from last year.) He understands presents and getting gifts just a little.  He has zero interest in catalogs and commercials. This year might be our one and only chance for a pure and unadulterated Christmas! I hope to establish a bit of foundation this year before commercial distractions attack.

One of the Christmas traditions I want to give my children from my own childhood is the preparatory celebration of Advent. I grew up in the Catholic church and as an adult have attended non-denominational Protestant churches. I've spent much of my adulthood trying to synthesize all that is good about both. The Advent rituals I experienced as a child left a significant impression. Those rituals created a sense of anticipation as well as a sense of something bigger than all of us, something holy. Much of the fun of Christmas is in the anticipation of something big. I'm going to do my best to use the 24 days that lead up to Christmas to build anticipation around Jesus!

So here's the Advent plan for this year.

Ritual 1: The Jesse Tree each morning
Ritual 2: Followed by singing a related Christmas hymn
Ritual 3: Read a Christmas book each night
Ritual 4: Light a new candle each Sunday.


The Jesse Tree

I first learned of the Jesse Tree from Babe of My Heart. I love its purpose. There is a scripture reading with a corresponding ornament for each day of Advent. The passages trace Jesus's ancestral history (a shoot will spring forth from the stump of Jesse) and lead up to his birth on Christmas Day. What I love so much is that it demonstrates how all of scripture points toward Christ. Beginning on December 1st (an orthodox Jesse Tree would start on the first day of Advent) we will read the scripture reference for the day and Bear will get to hang the ornament that goes with it on the Jesse tree. Day 1 is the creation story and the ornament is a globe.

There are lots of ways to do a Jesse Tree, some simple and some pretty elaborate. Lots of Jesse Trees you can buy. Call me crazy, but I wanted to make it myself. Partly because I have some specific wishes for our tree (I really want the ornaments to have their own pocket --  as a kid I loved opening flaps or pockets each day to discover a new treasure inside), and partly because I want my kids to have something made by Mom. But....it's been a long time since I engaged in crafty stuff. Over the years my career gradually moved in on my free time and many of my artistic interests moved out. Fortunately, Navy Mango on Etsy sells a cute make it yourself Jesse Tree kit. It comes with the patterns and all the supplies, I don't have to shop or gather anything, (Sorry if I'm sounding like a commercial here. Not my intention.) I just have to put it together. And I get to customize it where I want to. I altered the globe ornament so that the Americas AND Africa are visible, especially the horn of Africa. :) Baby Jesus also had to be black. I could not find a black baby Jesus Jesse Tree to save my life. So this is what I work on each night after Bear is asleep, for as long as I can stay awake. Makes me a little groggy at work the next day but I'm really enjoying it and it's giving me time to think and prepare myself.


Christmas Book Recommendations!

I would love some suggestions! There are so many out there that it's a little overwhelming.Thanks to my sister and my mom and dad, I have a few Christmas books now in our library. I want to build this collection so that Bear and his future brother or sister will look forward to getting them out and reading them each year.  I am looking for not just any Christmas book, I am looking for quality! These need to be special.  And they need to somehow relate to the biblical Christmas story either directly or indirectly. Books with characters of color would also be fantastic. One of my favorite books is The Story of the Three Trees. Not directly a Christmas story but special and appropriate for Christmas. Do you have a favorite book from childhood, or one that your kids love? I would so appreciate your recommendations!

If I get my act together I will post some pictures of the Jesse Tree once it's done. I would also love to hear of other Advent traditions. Christmas is coming!

Ode to October

Wow, where did October go? October is a beautiful month in Wisconsin and we were out thoroughly enjoying it this year. We even had shorts weather for over a week at the beginning of the month so....we went apple picking.

 

The look on Bear's face and gentle hand on Dad's knee makes the photo below a Mama favorite.

 

The apple farm we go to grows their apples close to the ground so even 37 inch tall people can reach.

Biting into the first apple picked by Bear.

We've been talking a lot about apples and pumpkins and the season of Fall. Somewhere along the line, Bear got his wires crossed and referred to...ahem...certain female body parts as apples for a short time. Gosh, you never know how kids are processing things!



We carved our pumpkins. A first for Bear and the first in I can't remember how long for me.

Each time he reached in and pulled out a handful of pulp and seeds he said, "Gooo. Eee!"

This may be the first and last year he carves a pumpkin in diapers.

This past weekend was time to Trick or Treat. Wisconsin does Halloween a little bit differently from where I grew up. Each city or town picks their Trick or Treat date and time. This year ours was Saturday from 3-6pm. I wasn't too sure if he would wear the costume but he actually got into it.

We went with the theme started by Bonnie and Mike on his birthday. He wore a sign on his back that said "New Sheriff in Town". The candy he ate on Saturday sent him into a tailspin for about 2 hours. Note to self, no more candy!

 


I think I've mentioned before that Bear attends daycare provided on site by my employer. We are lucky to have this. On Halloween, all the kids get to trick or treating in the plant. It's a really big deal. A lot of people dress up and then go crazy as all the kids walk through. So Bear had a second trick or treat on Monday. The two years olds must have been a little too unpredictable because they went trick or treating in the buggy.

It really looks like a parade as the kids come through and the adults shower them with candy.

Each child must have come home with two grocery bags full of stuff. WAY too much for a rambunctious two year old. I was happy to share Bear's spoils with my coworkers.

Happy October and first week of November!